Tina G.

Graduation!

2010-04-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

This is the video that was played at our graduation. It was really fun watching the students watch themselves.

An update

2010-03-12T03:04:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and family,

There has been quite a bit going on in my life lately, so I thought that I should probably write an update to catch you all up.

I will start with the good stuff! As many of you know, I was able to go to Jerusalem and surrounding areas a few weeks ago. It was a wonderful little vacation. We stayed in a convent just outside of the Damascus Gate, which is a great location to walk to all of the Old City sites. We also rented a car and spent some time at the Mediterranean Sea just north of Joppa, and also in the areas surrounding the Sea of Galilee. It is pretty crazy to travel such a short distance and feel like you are in a completely different world.

Here are a few pictures from my trip.

On to other news...

I received a surprise phone call from my school district on Tuesday informing me that they no longer have a job for me when I return. As you can imagine, this came as quite a shock. Due to budget cuts I was bumped because of seniority... or lack thereof.

At first I was pretty upset and not sure what to do. After having a bit of time to think about it, I still am not sure what to do, but somehow that is kind of exciting. Even though I was quite surprised by the turn of events, I know that it did not surprise our Heavenly Father. I also know that He has good plans for me. So, I will let you know as He let's me know! I covet your prayers for this situation.

Also, if you have not heard, I will be returning to Hood River in mid May. I definitely have mixed emotions about the move, but I am confident that it is the right step. I am excited to be reunited with my family and friend, and especially excited to worship with my church family. However, it will be really difficult to leave my friends and teammates here. As I sit and think about this year I am in awe of the experiences that I have been privileged to have.

In His Grip,

Tina G.

Ajloun Castle

2010-02-15T03:53:00.001-08:00

Saturday I went on a little adventure around Jordan with the Mangham family. We went north to Ajloun to see the castle, stopped for a picnic in the Jordan Valley, stopped in Pella (one of the decapolis cities) and ventured back to Amman (another decapolis city fyi). It was a GORGEOUS day! I was shocked at how green everything was! Here are a few pictures.

The castle:

Our tour guide, Ibrahim, at the castle:

Here is the castle from afar (taken from the car with the point and shoot)

Jordan Valley

On their way to find green grass

from our picnic spot

Pella:

Cell Phone

2010-02-15T02:53:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday I took a taxi to visit my friend in Abdoun. I navigated to the regular drop off point, got out of the taxi, and went to phone my friend when I noticed that I had left my cell phone in the taxi. The taxi was now gone. Bummer. I did a little positive self talk and decided that I needed to find a phone quickly to call my own phone and see if the taxi driver would be kind enough to return to the place where he had just dropped me off.

I spotted 2 women on the opposite side of the street. I found some boldness deep inside and asked the women if they had a "mobile" that I could borrow. I explained the story and they had compassion on me. I called my phone and there was no answer. The kind younger lady redialed my number and the taxi driver answered. All of the sudden she started speaking arabic really quickly and forcefully while pacing back and forth on the street. She would frequently make eye contact with me, smile, and return to arguing with the man. In my limited arabic I pick up the following.... America girl.... American embassy.... police... she will pay.... American embassy...

She finally hung up the phone and said (through a laugh) that he would be back in 10 minutes. Apparently she told him that I worked for the American Embassy and that they had called and said that he must return my phone or they would call the police.

She then continued to stay with me, invite me into her aunt's home, invite me to dinner, and offer any and every service that she could. Even dental service. It turns out that she is an oral surgeon, and a pretty big deal in Jordan.

So, the taxi driver returns, and he is not very happy. Dr Maya told me to pay him 5JD for his time, so I went to the pharmacy that was near by to get some change. While I was doing that, she talked to the taxi driver, got my phone, then took the money from me and returned it to him.

I am so thankful for Dr. Maya and Jordanian hospitality. This is one of the many reasons why I love this country.

UPDATE

2010-02-05T05:25:00.000-08:00

Much has happened in the last few months that I have neglected to update my faithful readers about, so now that the weather outside is rainy/snowy, I will spend some time getting you up to date. I feel like this one could be a long one, so I will weave pictures throughout to keep your attention!

MOM AND AMANDA CAME TO VISIT!

This was of course a highlight in my time over here. It was so nice to get those big hugs at the airport! I'm so proud of my mom for having the courage to enter another world for a few weeks. I have incredible friends here, but nothing compares to having someone from home come and experience your life along with you.

I kept them quite busy while they were here. I rented a car and we drove all over the country. Our first stop was Petra. We were anticipating getting there in the early afternoon so that we could relax at the hotel for the evening and then hike around Petra in the morning. When we got to the hotel we were informed that there would be a "Petra by Night" tour that evening. For the Petra by Night tour, they light the siq leading to the treasury with candles. It is quite a beautiful site. Once you get to the treasury, you are met with a beautiful site, with a bedouin playing a rababa and singing. You sit in silence, drinking tea, and soaking in the moment. I had not been able to have this before, so I sort of coerced my mother and friend into doing this. (It wasn't too difficult). However, I hadn't thought through the plan too well, because my mom had just had knee surgery and Petra demands a lot of walking in one day, and my plan required it two days in a row! Mom and Amanda were troopers though, and we had a great time.

Day two in Petra:

This was an incredibly long day. We had many firsts to say the least. Mom and Amanda coerced me into doing things that I had resolved never to do... like ride a mule. I like my own two feet! Anyway, it ended up being a great day filled with many memories.

One of my favorite things was when a bedouin family invited us to sit and have tea with them on our way up to the monastery. Their hospitality and nice conversation reminds me of the importance of slowing down in life enough to enjoy the people around you. The mother of the family proceeded to charge my mom and Amanda WAY too much for some necklaces, but I think it was worth it! :)

We also took a trip to the Dead Sea. We floated in the sea, had great food, took lots of pictures and had many laughs. I had been to the Dead Sea several times before, but every place seems like a new place when mom is around! :) The weather was not so nice, but the rain held off long enough for us to go for a float.

We had some special time in Amman with some friends of mine. We had a friend over for tea, went shopping downtown, and also were invited to a WONDERFUL meal. I loved for my mom and Amanda to meet the people that I have been so blessed to call friends. I think it became evident as to why the Lord asked me to come to this place at this time.

Unfortunately the 20th rolled around and they had to leave. However, I think that we made memories that will last a life time! I'm so thankful for the time that we had together.

OTHER NEWS:

I moved! Some circumstances changed and we had another female teacher coming to join us, so we are now renting a really nice apartment in a different part of Amman. This apartment is much closer to the rest of my teammates, which makes visiting very nice. I am not sure if you all are aware, but one of my regular service activities is to tutor a young man in math and science. It has been a huge blessing for me to be able to assist this family in such a way. There were some circumstances which lead to his family making the decision to home school him, but they needed someone to teach math and science. Of course I am always looking for someone to sit still long enough to do math with me, so it was a perfect fit! I now live within walking distance of their house, which makes it all quite convenient. Isn't just like our Father to set up such unique circumstance for us to serve each other?

SPRING SEMESTER HAS STARTED:

February 1st marked the first day of our new semester at our English Center. I am teaching a morning conversation class for women, and an evening class of mixed gender. I love both of the classes! Most of my students from last semester are continuing this semester, which I love. My morning class retained the few from last semester and added a few which is really encouraging. I love the freedom that comes from that class. The last lesson was a conversation that followed from a youtube video that I showed them about the tragedy in Haiti. It was a powerful time where we were able to talk about things in life that really matter!

FUTURE PLANS:

After much prayer and contemplation, I am now ready to announce that I will be returning to Oregon in May. I have loved my time in Jordan, but it appears that this chapter will close in May. I am very excited about the next chapter in my adventure of following the Lord. I have a feeling it will be just as exciting as the last. I am very thankful that I will be able to step back into my position at the High School. It will feel good to be teaching math in the classroom again!

Well, that is the short of it. Please shoot me an email if you have a chance and let me know what is going on with you. I can't wait to schedule massive amounts of coffee dates when I get back to catch up on your lives. Thanks for being part of my journey!

Blessings,

Tina G.

Thailand!

2010-01-01T02:14:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! 2009 ended with a bang for me, as I was blessed to be able to spend the last couple weeks of the year in Thailand traveling around with a friend. The trip turned out to be one of refreshment, reflection, perspective, time with the Lord, and lots of fun and laughs.

Our trip started out with a trip to the northeast of Thailand to visit about 30 teenage girls. We spent an early Christmas with them and we were totally blessed by their worship service. It was a celebration unlike any that I have ever seen before. All of the kids came up with their own dances and drama to express their hearts to God regarding the birth of the Messiah. Intermingled between all of the dances and drama were testimonies of lives changed. It was truly a moving experience that was centered on Christ, and it got me thinking as to how to do a celebration like this in the future!

One of my favorite memories from the northeast was when my traveling buddy walked into a room where I was eating some fruit with the house mother and she said, "are you eating the seeds?" I replied, "yes." To which she quickly said, "you might die." I thought that she was kidding, but she wasn't. Now, before this story goes too far... I asked if you could eat the seeds and the person that I was eating it with said that she does all of the time, so you can imagine my shock when I heard about my impending death. Apparently there is some rumor that these seeds can get lodged in your spleen or something, but I assure you that I have had no side effects of eating the fruit. However, I did not eat any more! After this experience I had a talk with my friend to let her know that she might think about a more tactful way to bring about news of warning. We had some good laughs.

From the northeast we took an overnight bus to Chiang Mai. Travel in another country is always an adventure, but this trip was quite special. There were a few times when I thought my friend was going to go relieve the driver of his duties. Also, our bus left at 8:30pm and arrived at 11 am the next day. One would think that these would be prime sleeping hours in which one does not really need any food. Not the case. Our bus stopped at midnight and 4am to eat meals. Who eats at that time?

Chiang Mai was great. Here is a picture of what was awaiting us as we woke up in the morning.

Chiang Mai was great because we got to spend time with the girls that live at the Remember Nhu houses there. I have been praying for these girls and this ministry for quite some time, so it was great to spend time with them. We celebrated Christmas with them, and had a great time watching them decorate a Christmas tree for the first time.

Christmas morning was spent worshipping with the girls, followed by a time where they got to open their Christmas gifts from their sponsor parents. It was very fun to watch their eyes light up by what was inside their gift bags.

The day after Christmas we took an overnight train back to Bangkok in order to begin a few days of rest and relaxation! Once we were back in Bangkok we quickly made reservations at a resort in Koh Chang (Elephant Island) and boarded a bus, followed by a ferry to get there as soon as possible. We were not disappointed when we got to the resort after a long day of traveling! It was absolutely gorgeous. We put our stuff down and headed to the beach where there was a wonderful seafood bbq.

The next few days were spent at the spa, snorkeling, playing Phase 10, people watching, spending time reflecting on the year, and looking forward to the next. It was a very refreshing time, and I am so thankful for the buddy that God provided to spend it with.

As I sat down yesterday to go through my pictures I realized that I had far less pictures than I normally do. Part of me was a little sad about this, but also I realized that so much of the trip I was experiencing and taking part in the moment and enjoying every bit of it that I forgot take pictures. Of course taking a few pictures for me is still several hundred... here are a few of my favorites from the beach:

This was our beach entertainment on our last evening in Paradise (that was actually the name of our resort)
My buddy :)

We were brought to this beach to eat our lunch on our snorkeling adventure. The water was soooo beautiful. The morning started out a bit wet, but it turned out to be gorgeous!

And now I am back in Jordan! I hope that your Christmas and New Years was a wonderful time with family and friends. I missed my family a TON, but at the same time I had an unforgettable time.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

Hello family and friends!

I can't believe that it is December 17th already! 8 days until Christmas! This Christmas season has been like no other Christmas season I have had before. Obviously I am celebrating in a place that I have never previously celebrated, but it is so much more than that. Without all of the crazy consumerism my heart has been awakened to grand statement that God made when He sent Jesus to earth. But even more than that, I have noticed Mary's response to the craziness happening inside her body. Her soul responds in magnifying the Lord! As I sit and reflect about Christ's first coming, and the glorious news of reconciliation, my heart longs for my friends here to have the response to Jesus that Mary did.

On another note, even though I am having a wonderful time here in Jordan, I am still missing all of the fun family and friend functions. It was difficult to be away from home for thanksgiving, and I am anticipating Christmas to be all the more difficult. I actually kind of like that I feel my heart is in this dynamic tension. Every day I am reminded how much family and friends mean, and how I could not be doing what I am doing without their love, support, and prayers. However, at the same time I couldn't be more excited about the work that is going on here. God is so good, and I am so thankful to be serving in this part of the world in this season of my life. This Christmas I will be celebrating in a very unique way, and I will share about it on the flip side.

Have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Tina G.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T07:02:00.001-08:00

Today has been a weird, emotional, introspective day for me so far, so I thought that I would blog about it! That sentence sort of sounds like I am depressed, but really I couldn’t be more the opposite right now. Allow me to try to explain myself.

This morning started out like many other mornings (except for the part where I didn’t get out of bed until 10!). I turned on my kindle (thank you Joyce) to read what Dietrich Bonhoeffer had to say for the day. Today was astounding. Here it is:

“When God casts the spell of His love, it binds us not only to Him, but also to His passion for our world… If God’s Word simply adds a bit of information to our knowledge, and if God’s love simply adds a bit more warmth and security to our lives, then we are hardly likely to make great changes and commitments in their wake. But where God’s Word challenges us to the very core of our being and God’s love radically transforms us, then great commitments and sacrifices can be expected. God does not charm us with His grace and love so that we will remain mesmerized by His presence, but so that we will serve Him freely and boldly in our world.”

Today as I reflected upon this I became very thankful. I am thankful that God has mesmerized me by his transforming love. I am also very thankful that I have a family at home that loves me so much as to accept that the repercussions of this transforming love is to be obedient and sometimes that means be TOO far away. So, as Thanksgiving Day is here I miss my family and friends deeply. However, in missing them I realize that the reason that I am not with them is far greater than my momentary discomfort, that His Name might be known among the nations.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hungry for God's Power

2009-11-19T04:41:00.000-08:00

Hello All. It has been a great last week here in Amman. We had a women's breakfast at our center that turned out wonderful. The women that came enjoyed a wonderful meal and then heard some truth in Arabic from the pastor's wife at our church.

When the event was drawing to an end I asked one of my friends what the message was about. She told me that the lady spoke about a watch. It was a special watch and it stopped working. The person took it to many places to try and get it fixed and no one could figure out the problem. Finally the person took the watch to the man who made the watch. He was able to fix it quickly. He said that he knew what was wrong because he had made it. Then she continued to relay the message that our creator created us uniquely and we should go to him in all situations. I am not sure if that was actually what was said, but I thought it was a beautiful picture! We are having lunch together tomorrow and I am very excited to hang out with her.

After seeing the reactions that the women had to the message, and their pure joy in being invited to such an event, my heart is becoming desperate to see God work powerfully in their lives. :)

Today I spent time with another friend. We were doing some reading and she was prompted to tell me about her childhood. She is from Africa and grew up in an orphanage. In her country education is a huge privilege that not many have. She told me about many cases where people would just hold the bible in hopes of understanding, and in many cases they were able to read and understand the message. She has experience God in a way that is hard for me to imagine. Today I was encouraged in the miraculous.

Once upon a time...

2009-11-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there was a girl who was teaching english in a foreign country. She was on her way to class, but needed to run back up to the office for a second. She decided to take the elevator so that she could have a few last sips on her coffee during the trip. As soon as the elevator started to rise it suddenly got stuck. Yup. It sure did. Welcome to my morning! :) Today I am thanking the Lord for my cell phone! :)

Happy Birthday Blake!

2009-10-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday buddy! I can't believe that you are 7 years old already! STOP GROWING! I love you soooo much, and I am sorry that I am missing your birthday this year. I know that you will have a lot of fun skating with your friends. Just know that I love you and I wish that I could give you a big hug and go for a ride with you on your razor! Thanks for praying for me and sending me the great drawings. I love them. Keep playing the drums so that we can play together when I come home. Have a great day!

Awkward moment

2009-10-24T04:04:00.000-07:00

I realize that I have been quite the slacker in updating my blog as of late. This is actually good news! It means that I have a life! :) It seems that when life gets too busy to accurately update the blog then I just shut down and decide that if people can't be accurately updated, then I will not update at all. I realize that this is not the correct attitude to have, but it is reality. HOWEVER, something quite funny happened today and so I thought that the blog was the perfect place to describe the situation in all its glory!

Once upon a time (today), in a land far far away (Jordan), there was a girl (me) who was calling on every dendrite and synapse within her brain to correctly conjugate her newly acquired verbs. In the midst of saying, "he left his big, green, new ball at home on the table" the arabic tutor stopped all aforementioned dendrite expansion when she said, "women in Jordan should shave their arms." All of this was said while pointing at said students hairy arms! The student sat quietly to take in every ounce of awkwardness in the small classroom and vowed to write a blog as soon as possible.

Good times! :)

I'm a Teacher

2009-10-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note before I go to bed....

Tonight was my first night teaching English. I can not even explain to you how much fun I had! I used to think it was math that made me this excited, but now it is confirmed that I really just like being the center of attention.... I mean, I like teaching! There is something about being able to come up with fun examples on the spot to help students understand a concept that lights me up inside.

After class tonight I hung around for a while and ended up talking to three ladies. We chatted about life and cooking (don't laugh at me!). The were fighting over who was the better cook and who I should learn from. They are now determined to help me be successful in cooking Jordanian food. I've never been excited about cooking before, but this sounds fun.

Anyway, I am pretty sure that I am currently on Cloud 9 and I thought that I would let you in on it.

I Love High School Students!

2009-10-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

Thursday was a great day! I met with a high school student to help her with English. We got into contact with each other through a mutual friend, so we had never actually met each other until yesterday. We hit it off straight away. I knew it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship when she told me that math was her favorite subject! :) The great thing is that she just wants me to talk with her. No need for lesson plans, just conversation. What could be better than that? I am very excited to get to know her, as well as her family better. I left after the first session with an arm full of home made Iraqi goodies!

New Favorite Song

2009-09-28T04:59:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I found the chords to my new favorite song called "Forever Holy" by The Glorious Unseen. This song was new to me about a week ago and I love it, so I thought I would promote it along with the whole cd. Enjoy!

Refusing the words "home sick"

2009-09-27T04:06:00.000-07:00

People often ask if I am getting home sick. What does that even mean? Do I find myself physically ill because I miss family and friends? No. Do I miss family, friends, students, Diet Dr. Pepper (from McDonalds with extra ice!), math, youth ministry, my actual home, worship, fellowship, etc. ABSOLUTELY! Would I come back home if given the opportunity? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Is it hard? ABSOLUTELY! I have always looked at being home sick as a weakness which is why I never utter the words. I prefer to call it "missing the familiar" (note that I just made that term up).

As I ponder this whole topic I am coming to realize the huge blessing in missing home. What a great blessing it is to have a place and a people to miss! Also I realize the crazy phenomena that a good number of these people that I miss actually miss me too. This is somehow great comfort knowing that they (probably whoever is reading this) are actually remembering to pray for me. In addition to this, it seems to me like I am going through a "purification of motives". When I am having moments where I am really missing something about Da Hood I tend to ask myself if it is worth it. Would I choose this path again? Every time I come to the same conclusion that I am right where I should be. AND, each time I am a little more convinced as well. If I did not have anything to sacrifice then I can imagine that it would be a lot easier to lose focus.

Last night we sang some hymns in church. It is amazing how the words hit me totally differently being away from home. I was struck by the following lyrics:

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I hath needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness

Lord unto me

When I sing this song now I have a little different perspective to sing from. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness to me!

Switching gears a little.... Two of the little people that I miss the most are featured in the following video. It looks like they are having a blast! I hope they save some tread on the tires for when I am back in town. Enjoy!

Let's Get Started!

2009-09-26T01:05:00.000-07:00

Ramadan is now over and it is time to get our English program started! I have been assigned my teaching load which consists of 4 classes a week. I will have a morning class specifically for women twice a week, and a level 3 class two nights a week. I am very excited to get started. We have registration Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and then our classes will start the next week. I am a little nervous about teaching english, but I am 99% excited.

We also have some fun social activities planned for our students. I am in charge of putting together games for our first coffee shop evening. If you have any fabulous ideas of group games that we can play and practice english with then let me know. I am working on adapting Taboo!

Mom, here is a picture for ya ;)

Journey to See Mary

2009-09-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the next Beirut entry:

My second day in Beirut my friends took me out to see some sights. One of these sights included a trip up to Harissa which is about 20km north of Beirut. This is the site of the largest statue of the virgin Mary in the world. She is huge! She is known as "Our Lady of Lebanon". She weighs in at 15 tons of bronze. You can take the circular stairs to the top and catch a great view. I got a bit dizzy on the way up. This is quite a popular place of pilgrimage for many catholics.

This next picture was taken from the top of the Mary's stairs.

Also, there is a very large cathedral which has a spectacular view of the coastline. The cathedral has a really funny shape and I asked my friend what the meaning behind it was. He thought that it was built to look like a ship. I think he said some more stuff, but I forgot! :(

Another attraction at this site is the gondola lift called teleferique which takes you from Mary all the way down to the sea (not actually in the water!). We opted to drive the very steep and winding road up to the top. It was a very beautiful drive with fantastic views around each corner.
This next picture is taken from the view point by Mary. The church is the Melkite Greek Catholic basilica of St. Paul.

It was a beautiful day spent with beautiful people. I actually have 2 more posts to do just from this one day in particular. More to come soon! :)

Dr Pepper

2009-09-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to figure out how to blog about Beirut. There are many things that I would like to share and it seems like a lot of pressure to make it one entry. SO, I am going to spread it out for a bit. Here is entry number 1:

Before I start tell you too much about my trip to Beirut I need to tell you a bit about my habits in Oregon. I love Diet Dr. Pepper. McDonald's has the best Diet Dr. Pepper EVER! It is so amazing that there have been times when I have been in bed sick and someone calls to see if they can bring me anything and I will ask for a Diet Dr. Pepper from McDonalds. No 7 up or soup, just bring the Dr. to me.

Anyway, I had a feeling that Jordan would probably not support my habit of the Dr so I was not too disappointed when I was unable to find it anywhere. Then came my trip to Lebanon! My friends picked me up at about 10pm from the airport. We dumped off my stuff at the apartment and went to a grocery store in a mall. Yes, in a mall. After picking up the essentials I proceeded to the checkout counter. As I approached the counter I heard something like angels rejoicing. I looked to the right to catch a glimpse of the gloriousness and there sat a Diet Dr Pepper in a small refrigerator. After counting the cost of buying such a luxury I grabbed it up and proceeded to the checkout. I immediately began contemplating when I was going to partake in the heavenly refreshment.

Upon arriving back at the apartment I put the Dr in the fridge (after taking a picture of course).

I decided that night two would be the night. I had the sense that waiting a bit longer would some how heighten the experience.

Since I was staying alone in an apartment I wanted to figure out the best way to share the experience with all of my fans (sometimes I pretend that my blog has a large viewing audience). So I decided to take some pictures to capture the actual moments. Here is my picture right after opening up the can and getting ready for the first drink. Can you see the excitement and anticipation?

Then I took a drink. It was HORRIBLE!

This picture doesn't even begin to describe the awful taste that had just entered my mouth. I felt like my taste buds had been violated! You might wonder what I did with the once thought "heavenly juice" but more accurately described as something that you would make your children drink after saying a bad word. I drank it. That's right. I am so cheap that I couldn't let it go to "waste" even though it tasted like acidic waste. I paid around 2 bucks for the can so I finished it.

Beirut!

2009-09-15T05:49:00.000-07:00

Hello All (Joyce),
I am currently in Beirut having a great time. I have had the opportunity to go and see some historical sights and also to take a lot of pictures. We went to The Dog River which unfortunately was only a puddle when we were there. However, this was a popular passage way for many armies coming through the area and they all "left their mark" (a side note: I tried to convice my friend that this is way it is called Dog River. Apparently there are other reasons! I thought I was pretty clever though). There were carvings dating clear back to 1265BC. I took MANY pictures but unfortunately there is not much wireless access around here, so I won't be able to post any of them until I get back to Amman.
On Sunday I was able to go to the very first service of an Alliance church. I brought my camera along and as it turns out it was the only one around. So, I all of the sudden became the photographer. I was able to take some video as well and put together a little movie for the pastor and this new congregation. It was a priviledge to be able to bless them with this gift.
From this little project it seems like I have some upcoming work in the movie making business. The school that I am visiting would like something similar put together, so I am very happy to do that for them. This will be a larger project which is probably going to require me coming back in April! I know, it's a tough life, but somebody needs to do it :)

My First Iftar

2009-09-02T05:45:00.000-07:00

I had the best experience being here so far on Thursday night. I feel like that is a pretty big statement because I have done a lot of cool things. I mean... I saw PETRA! But all of that is rubbish compared to Thursday night. A few weeks ago I was invited by one of my teammates to go and visit one of her friends who is Jordanian. I jumped at the opportunity. Well, the visit got canceled and was rescheduled for this past Thursday. The excitement had kind of dwindled to be honest, but I still really wanted to go. Then the morning came and I was sort of having a rough morning. It was one of those mornings when you sort of regret asking the Lord to search your heart because He does and shows you some really ugly stuff. It was one of those days. All I saw was my own shortcomings. By the time I was getting ready for the visit I really just wanted to call my teammate and say that I could not make it. I am really glad that I was too much of a chicken to call because the night was AMAZING!

A little background information: We are currently in the middle of the season of Ramadan. To quote wikipedia for you, Ramadan is the Isl. month of fasting, in which participating Mus. refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and indulging in anything that is in excess or ill-natured from dawn to dusk. Fasting is meant to teach Mus. patience, modesty and spirituality. Ramadan is a time to fast for the sake of Allah, and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Mus. ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.

Given this information you can see that sundown is a big deal each day. You definitely don't want to be on the roads around 7:00 (right before sunset). The family gathers together for "Iftar" where they all eat together and break the fast for the day. It was a great honor to be invited to this dinner.

I had been told that when you go on a visit that you should probably not eat much that day because you will be expected to "eat well." Usually when something is suggested it is a good idea to take heed because I don't know what the heck I am doing! So, I listened to the suggestion and I was glad that I did! Also, on our way to the home my teammate said, "be prepared to be kissed a lot and to eat a lot." The words "a lot" did not really even begin to describe the situation that we were about to find ourselves in. This woman, who had never met me before, was kissing my checks as if they were something sacred that were about to disappear! The joy that she was exhibiting from having us to her home is unexplainable.

The evening just continued to get better from this point on. We shared great food, great stories (from what I understood!) and some great dancing! There is an artist called Omar Al Abdullat who was hired by the king to write some songs about Jordan. This woman played us the tape and sang/danced to the songs. It was such a good time.

Sometime in the middle of the visit I tried to explain to my new friend how happy I was to be in her home. I told her that I had a bit of a rough morning, but that her hospitality and warm heart has turned one of the lowest days into the best. It was fun to see her light up. I think she understood me! :)

Reflecting on this evening I have a new outlook on learning this language that seems to be very very difficult. It is to be able to communicate well with Jordanians, to spend quality time in their homes hearing from their hearts, to be able to understand how to do the crazy dance moves that she was pulling out, and to be able to walk along side of these amazing people with open communication. Thursday night I was reminded of why I am in Jordan... to be friends with Jordanians!

Note: Sorry there are no pictures to capture this evening. I said numerous times, "I wish I had my camera!"

"Sometimes things are just more difficult in Jordan"

2009-08-26T10:52:00.001-07:00

Let me just start this entry by saying how thankful I am to even have a shower! Also I am very thankful and in debt to my friend Ed for seeing this project to the end! Many times along the journey he would say, "sometimes things are just more difficult in Jordan." Here is the situation:

My apartment has two bathrooms, but only one of them was set up to have a warm shower. The other bathroom (my bathroom) has a shower in it, but it was not set up with a speed heater or with a shower curtain. In order to bless me with some privacy my friend Ed was willing to do the work to get the shower up and running. He thought it would not be a big deal. :)

A few days later a speed heater was purchased. The next part of the project was to get a corner curtain rod and to install it. This seems like something anyone should be able to do, but the bathroom is floor to ceiling tile, so it requires that you would drill into the tile. This however was no problem for Ed "the tool man" Mangham. The problem came into play when we noticed that the window in the bathroom is conveniently placed where the rod needs to go. We were then forced to make a decision as to make the curtain really low (keep the short jokes to yourself!) or really high. We opted to go high and then have a gap between the rod and the curtain. This way we would not need to cut the curtain as to keep it for further use. Here's where things get interesting. How do you create this gap without making the load too much for the rod? Being the genius that he is, Ed had a few ideas. One of these ideas was to find the beaded chain that is sometimes used for key chains. Well, after looking at several places over a span of a few days we found this exact thing at a hardware store. We were stoked. Then we quickly found out that they don't carry the connectors that are necessary to hook the chain into a loop. So, we went back to the drawing board (or the chain section). Ed found this beautiful brass chain. The heavens opened, and the angels rejoiced when we realized together that we could use this chain and mini zip ties to finish the project! 3.250JD and we were out of there. I brought the loot home and proceeded in putting it all together. It takes a bit of talent to get just the right tension on the zip tie in conjunction with the brass chain in order to get the desired flexibility in the curtain. It's a gift. When I took a step back and saw the whole picture of the silver curtain hooks with the brass chain and the white zip ties my eyes filled up with tears of joy as my heart said "it is finished!"

The shower doesn't look too bad from far away. My flat-mate called it "artsy". I'm not sure I would go that far. (Note the unfortunately placed window)

Grillin' on the Roof

2009-08-22T00:33:00.001-07:00

Last night we had a little pre-Ramadan dinner party on the roof. Our friends brought over 2 chickens that had been stuffed with lemons and other "special spices" and grilled them on our roof. It was a very fun evening!

Where are the crosswalks? :)

2009-08-19T08:32:00.000-07:00

Most of you who are following this blog probably know that I am a rule follower. I like rules. This is sort of a problem when trying to walk around in Amman. There are no crosswalks. There is paint on the roads that is allegedly distinguishing between lanes, but apparently even that is negotiable. I live near a circle or what you might refer to as a "roundabout". Trying to navigate around it while trying to catch a taxi, or simply just to get to a street on the other side has proved quite a challenge. I went out with my roommate today and she just walks out right in the middle of traffic (as does everyone else besides me!) and expects people to not hit her. My heart jumped quite a few beats, but I tried to play it off. I walked out later by myself and each time I seem to have a bit more courage. It makes me appreciate those crosswalks in H.R. even though I hate stopping at them. :)

Here are some photos from around Amman.

This is a picture of one of the circles. At night there are a lot of people hanging out at the circle enjoying each other's company. It acts as a park.

King Abdullah Mosque

Settling In

2009-08-13T04:45:00.000-07:00

Let the blogging begin! I have probably sat down a dozen times to start this blog but then find myself at a loss for words. How do you accurately describe an experience like this? Today there was a huge mile marker in my life here in Jordan. I UNPACKED my suitcases and also made a solo journey around my neighborhood to find a grocery store. I even found my way back! It sounds kind of funny to say that, but it really does take a bit of courage to do that for the first time. Here are a few things that I learned on my short journey:

1. Shoes with traction are preferred.

You might be asking yourself why I would comment on something like that. Well, let me tell you. I almost biffed it a few times on my little journey when I would come across store front with abnormally slick tile right there in the middle of the sidewalk. I was wearing flip-flops and about had a couple of face plants. Not pretty.

2. Shopping decisions are a lot more difficult when you realize that you have to carry all of your purchases all the way back to your house.

3. Cereal is ridiculously expensive! Some of the regular boxes were about 9 bucks!

4. I need to start recognizing landmarks because I will never be able to remember the street names!!

5. I love my apartment. The garden area in the front is pretty snazzy! After my adventure and getting settled in I feel like I can call this home for the next year.

So, let me recap what the last 11 days have been like.

I have had the privilege of staying with Ed, Julie, and their family up until yesterday. Staying at their house was really great. It was nice staying in a home for the first few days as I adjusted to the new culture. They took me around to try and get acquainted with the city, and I think it is actually working!

Last friday I had a chance to go to the Dead Sea and Mt. Nebo with Ed and some other people visiting from the United States. It was great to actually see some of the places that you read about in the Old Testament. It has helped me get a better handle on the geography of this area which is really helpful in reading the Bible.

Saturday all of the international workers in this area met in Petra for a retreat. Petra was amazing! Check out my facebook for more pictures from Petra. It was great getting to know some of the people working in surrounding areas. I loved hearing their stories of ups and downs. It gave me courage for the year ahead of me.

Currently I am sitting on my bed enjoying the fact that my bags are unpacked! I moved in yesterday and it feels great. Thanks for all of your emails, comments, and prayers of encouragement. I am very thankful for all of you. Enjoy my pictures!

This is the Dead Sea. Across from the Dead Sea is Jerusalem. From this point you could actually see Jericho, the Jordan River, and Jerusalem. Although they are not visible in this picture.

This monument is found on Mt. Nebo which is where God showed Moses the Promise Land. See Deut. 32:48-52. It is a cross with a snake wrapped around it. It is supposed to symbolize the verse that says, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

This building was built in 1st century AD memorializing the place where God showed Moses Canaan.

These are random camels that we saw on the way down to the Dead Sea. I snapped with through the window with my little camera.

This is Petra from my hotel room!

This if from inside Petra. Check out my facebook for more like this.

This is a boy who was selling some things in Petra. He wanted to see himself on my camera.

Tough Goodbyes

2009-08-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I leave in the morning and today has been a day full of saying, "goodbye". As I get ready to go to bed I am very thankful that I have so many amazing friends and family members to say goodbye to! A girl couldn't ask for anything more. Thank you to everyone for making me feel like a super star even though I am just a simple girl saying, "yes" to what the Lord has in store for me.

Rainy/Black/Watum lakes

2009-07-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

What a great day! I decided to take the day and go for a little adventure in the forest. It felt good to go and spend some time alone to re-focus before I leave for Jordan on MONDAY!!! My goal was to just hang out at Rainy lake and read for a while, but I missed the turnoff and found myself at Black lake. I took a couple of pictures and then tried to find Rainy lake. I found a sign that said "Rainy Lake, Watum Lake 8 miles". So I figured that I was on the right track. I would be wrong though! I made it 1/2 way to Watum lake before I ran into a lady coming from Watum lake who assured me that I was going the wrong way! When I back to the starting point I was another sign about 100 feet from the first one that said Rainy Lake 1/4 mile! Oops, it was a great little hike anyway. I now feel refreshed and ready to face this adventure head on one day at a time.

A fun night with friends

2009-07-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to get away to the beach with two wonderful friend this past week. We went to cannon beach and had a great time. The tide was so low friday morning that we were able to see an incredible amount of little creatures. It was great to get to the ocean and get refreshed for the next week ahead. I look at my schedule for the next week and part of me gets anxious that I have such a busy schedule, but the majority of me is so overwhelmed by the amount of people that love me and want to spend time with me. Thank you so much for loving me well. Enjoy my pictures! (Note: 9 days until the posts are done from Jordan!)

My New Apartment!

2009-07-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

I have a place to live! Here are a few pictures that I just received. It looks great to me. I will be living with a girl who is 28 and has been there for 2 years.

These first 3 pictures are of my bedroom.

It looks like there is plenty of room for visitors :)

A Fun Sunset

2009-06-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

Last night I was at Blaine and Bethany's new house "painting" when we were distracted by the beautiful sunset. Here is my favorite picture of the evening.

Summer is flying by!

2009-06-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

Well, we are closing in on about a month before I leave to teach English in Jordan. Summer is flying by a little fast for my comfort. It has been great being able to spend time with friends a family. The highlight of the summer so far has been a trip to DisneyLand with my mom, sister, Blake, Grace, and Tatum. We had a great time. I took a ton of pictures and video and I am currently wading through them trying to make a movie documenting our trip. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

These next few pictures are my favorite of the whole trip. I was able to get a pretty good shot from a long distance of Joyce and Blake coming down Splash Mountain. I love the progression :)

DisneyLand could not be complete without Minnie Mouse!

Finally some nice weather!!

2009-05-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

In my effort to try and become a "blogger" I have been taking my camera along with me wherever I go. Last Saturday I was really excited to take advantage of the beautiful day and watch some high school softball and then go for a ride on Gilhouley. The Softball game was great. The JVers pulled it out in the end. Way to go girls! Here are a couple pictures from the game and a few of my favorite fans! :)

Gilhouley was a bit more of a disappointment. When I got to the gate I was totally bummed to see that the road was closed due to the rally race over the weekend. After pouting for a bit my dad found another little trail to go and take some pictures from the west side of the hill. It is definitely not as nice as the south side, but it was still beautiful. I went up later with Amanda, but I did more talking than picture taking! Maybe next weekend I will make it to the south side. I hope you like the pictures.

A Great Time at the Beach

2009-05-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had an amazing opportunity to share what the Lord has been doing in my life with some girls from Linfield College at the beach. We worshipped together, shared stories and sought the Lord. I had a great time remembering life at Linfield. Plus there were a few fellow math majors in the group! What a blessing! Thanks for inviting me! Here are a few pictures that I took at the beach on Saturday.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

Today as I think about the adventure that awaits me, I can't help but think about the impact that it is having on my mom. The more I interact with teenagers on a daily basis the more I understand the difficult yet infinitely important job of motherhood. Then I look at my own life and see how incredibly I have been blessed with a mom who loves me, worries for me, prays for me, supports me and loves me some more. Thanks mom for loving me so well! I love you!
Here is my top ten reasons why my mom is so amazing:
10. She is super generous and would do almost anything for almost anyone
9. She has mad gaming skills. For instance I think we played about 50 games of trouble one day before I finally gave up!
8. She is working on her technology skills to stay in communication with me when I am out of the country.
7. She travelled all around to watch me play golf!
6. She puts quality family time and vacations as a priority and always makes them super fun.
5. She can take whatever is in the fridge and make an amazing meal.
4. She has modeled being a wife well.
3. She is always conveying to people how proud she is of her kids.
2. She loves the Lord
1. She supports me in each adventure of my life!

My first post!

2009-05-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I need to get the hang of this blogging thing before I leave the country. Here is my first attempt at a post. Today Bethany took Amanda and me on a hike along Catherine Creek. She got a little off the "trail" and about killed me, but we had a great time. Here are a few pictures that I took.